February 22, 2010 – Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that the first patient has received an initial dose in a Phase 1/2 clinical study combining MM-121 with Tarceva® (erlotinib) in patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This is the first of multiple trials that Merrimack and sanofi-aventis expect to initiate in 2010 as part of a broad Phase 2 clinical development program for MM-121.
MM-121, Merrimack’s lead oncology therapeutic candidate, is an antibody designed to block signaling of ErbB3. Erlotinib is a small molecule targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR).“Our Network Biology analysis of cancer cells indicates that tumors often become resistant to EGFR-targeted therapies by compensating for tumor growth restriction through the ErbB3 receptor,"... [PDF] Merrimack Pharmaceuticals' Press Release -
